The Rhythm of You

Jealous

I woke up to Blu licking my nose as Moose barked in my ear. I love them, but they could be annoying sometimes.
"Alright boys, I'm up" I mumbled as I sat up. I got out of bed and fed the two before jumping into the shower.

I put on my white hoodie and jeans before heading outside with the dogs. Brent said we had the day off so I didn't have to feel rushed walking them. We went up and down the street, exploring the area together. The pups loved all the new sights and smells. Blu lead the way while Moose walked nicely by my side. He's such a momma's boy.

We eventually made our way back to the hotel and I decided to see if Brent was around. I knocked on his room door and waited. He soon opened the door and leaned against the door frame.
"Can I help you?" He asked with a smirk.
"What's the plan for today?" I asked him. He chuckled and looked back into his room.
"I've got some work to do, but if you want I can show you a good place to get lunch later" he said.
"Sounds good. I'll let you get back to work then. You know where to find me" I told him. He closed the door as I started walking back to my own room.

Moose reclaimed the bed as we entered our room while Blu took a seat next to the window, looking out at the nice view. I quickly got bored, but I didn't know this town well so I didn't want to go out without Brent or one of his friends. I sat down next to Blu and watched tv, drumming on the table to keep my hands busy.

Suddenly my phone rang, making me jump. I looked over to see it was Barry, so I picked up.
"Hey Barry, what's up?"
"Hey are you free for lunch?"
"Brent and I have plans already, but you're more than welcome to join us"
"Oh, that's okay. I think we all have plans for dinner together though, so will I see you there?"
"Of course. See you then Barry"
"I look forward to it Riley"
We both hung up after saying goodbye. I put my phone down and looked at the time. Brent should be here soon. Knowing him, he might have gotten caught up in his work, so I decided to go check on him.
"Stay here guys, and be good" I told the pups. Blu whined but Moose just yawned. I'm sure they'll be fine.

I knocked on Brent's door and waited until he answered.
"We still on for our lunch date?" I asked.
"Right, sorry I forgot" he said. He let me into his room as he finished up a few things and got ready.
"I had a feeling you forgot. I know you so well" I said with a giggle. He just smiled and gave a small laugh.

We headed out to the parking lot and entered Brent's car.
"So where are we going?" I asked.
"There's a really nice burger joint down the road. Local place, but pretty good" he said.
"How well do you know this area?"
"Pretty well. We're here often for the studio, and Eric lives here" he explained.
"That's really cool" I said as I looked out the window, taking in everything we passed by.

We got to the small diner and went inside. It was pretty quiet but looked nice. We both ordered a burger with fries before finding a seat by the window.
"So, life a little more exciting now?" Brent asked.
"Always when you're around" I laughed. "But really, I love learning everything and everyone seems so nice"
"I'm glad everything's going well. You and Barry seem to be hitting it off well too" he said with a wink.
"Barry is pretty cool" I said, blushing.
"I know you like him. You two need some time alone, see if you two have chemistry"
"I don't want to push it Brent"
"Just a test date, if it doesn't work then you don't need a second"
"If it doesn't work, things will be awkward"
"Eh, I know you two. You're both too chill to care after a while"
"Anyway.... anything else we could do on our day off?"
"I need to do some clothing shopping, wanna come with?"
"Yeah, sounds good"

After we finished our meals we headed out together. During the car ride we both sang along to the radio and danced. It was so fun hanging out with my best friend again. We eventually got to the mall and headed inside towards the shops Brent knew.

We entered one clothing store and started looking around. I found a couple of shirts I liked while Brent looked at some jackets.
"What about this one?" He asked, walking over with a red jacket on.
"Looks good on you" I said. Brent spun around and posed, making me laugh.

After grabbing some more shirts and pants, we decided to try on some outfits. We took turns in the changing booths, coming out to pose and show off our choices. We were having so much fun. I laughed at Brent's last pose before he looked passed me and started waving. I turned around and saw Barry watching us. We both tried getting him to join us, but he just left.
"Odd" Brent mumbled. I nodded in agreement.

We ended up buying a few things before leaving. During the ride back to the hotel, we sang along to the radio again.
"Oh! By the way, we all made plans for dinner tonight. You're welcome to join us" Brent suddenly said.
"Barry already invited me" I giggled.
"Oh, good. Dress nice for him" Brent said with a smile. I rolled my eyes at him, making him laugh.

Back at the hotel, I put my new outfits away before feeding the pups. Once they finished their meals, I took them on another walk. Moose and Blu walked side by side as we all enjoyed the fresh air. The sun was just starting to set and the sky looked beautiful. I just wanted to enjoy  my time with my boys.

After bringing the pups back to the hotel, I started getting ready to meet up with the others. Just as I finished putting my outfit together, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Brent.
"Ready?" He asked. I nodded and said goodbye to my boys before following him out.

We drove to a nice Italian restaurant in town. Eric must have been first to arrive as he greeted us outside. It wasn't long until Zach and Barry joined. I said hello to everyone, even smiling at Barry. He just blushed and looked away shyly. We went inside and all got a table together. I sat between Brent and Barry, with Zach and Eric across from us.

It was a pretty fun evening. We all joked around and talked. It was nice getting to know everyone better. Brent and I leaned on each other as we laughed. I noticed Barry kept glancing our way but he never said anything.
"Man are you two close or what?" Zach asked while laughing.
"Always" Brent said while smiling at me. I smiled back and put my head on his shoulder.

After dinner we split the bill and started walking out together. I saw Brent whisper something to Barry as we stepped outside. Barry then turned around and walked closer to me.
"Hey, can we talk?" He asked. I nodded and took his hand as he pulled me aside.

I leaned against Barry's car as he nervously looked at me.
"What's bothering you? You're acting weird today" I told him. I only knew him a few days but I could tell something was up.
"What's.... what's up with you and Brent?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked. I didn't think Brent and I were doing anything weird lately.
"It's just, you two are so close. I don't want to get in between anything you two have... you know?"
I started laughing. Did he think I was dating Brent? Really? My laughter made him look away, his face red with embarrassment.
"You think Brent and I have something romantic between us? Ha! He's like my brother Barry!" I said, out of breath from laughing so hard. Barry nervously laughed as I stepped closer to him.
"So you're not seeing anyone?" He asked. I smiled and put my hands on his shoulder.
"Not currently, unless you want to change that" I said shyly. Barry blushes as we stared into each other's eyes.
"KISS HER!" Brent yelled from across the parking lot. The three awed as we blushed and stepped away from each other.

I said goodnight to Barry and hurried to Brent's car. He was already waiting inside.
"You should've kissed him" he said.
"Shut up. You know, he thought we were dating" I said. Brent started laughing, making me laugh too.
"Never again" he chuckled. We tried dating for a week in high school but agreed it felt weird.
"I know right" I giggled. We both laughed the rest of the ride, finding the mistake hilarious.